The Avatar, Boomerang Boy, and the Banished Prince. (SeverusX & corsettdoll)

[Artificial Sugar]

Shina shivered harshly, pulling her ratty thin coat tighter around herself. She'd given Lilah the better coat, as always, determined that her younger sister stay warm and healthy. It was Winter now, and there was snow everywhere. It seeped into Shina's shoes and pants, soaking them and leaving her cold and shivering, soaked to the bone. The snow as thick and piled high.


"Lilah, come on." Shina muttered, looking back at her sister. Lilah turned her own green eyes to meet Shina's and nodded, jogging to catch up. They hadn't had a proper shelter to sleep in for a few days, but Shina was determined to find one now. The cold was worse now than ever, with the wind bringing the cold hail down on them, as well as blowing snow their way.


Shina continued on, trudging through the snow, until she saw a light up ahead. Looking closely, eyes squinted against the snow and hail, she could see it was a fire. Heart picking up speed, Shina felt a small twinge of hope at the thought of taking a few minutes to warm herself by a fire. Pulling on Lilah's hand, Shina led them closer, keeping an ear out for any sounds of danger.


As they neared the fire, Shina could see it was up on a ship, but she couldn't tell more than that. Deciding to take a chance, she pulled Lilah with her as she boarded the ship and stood in front of the man. He looked familiar, but she couldn't place him- his face was in shadow. "Excuse me, sir.. Could we-- could we share your fire, please?" She asked, hands clasped in front of her. The warmth of the fire was only inches away, taunting her.

Sokka groaned loudly as he rolled over in his blanket. Opening his eyes, he squinted against the bright sunlight, sighing heavily. He didn't want to be awake at the moment. It was far too early for him, surely. Peeking around camp, he realized everyone else was already awake. Sitting up, Sokka rubbed his eyes sleepily, feeling irrationally angry that he had to get up.


"Oh, Sokka, great! We need you to go hunting today." Katara's voice rang out, loud and clear, far too cheerful for such an early wake up. Opening his eyes and shooting her a glare, Sokka scratched at his head, his shaved sides growing back in. Pulling his hair up in it's signature ponytail, he stood, stretching his body out gently. Sleeping on the ground was harsh on his body.


"Fine, fine..." He muttered, waving Katara off, who hadn't stopped looking at him yet. When he agreed, she turned away, happily chattering to Aang, who was petting Momo. Sokka grabbed his boomerang and pack quickly before heading off towards the nearby forest. Entering the line of trees, he hoped he would have something to show when he returned to camp.


Their supplies were running low, so Sokka knew they'd need to go to a village soon and restock, but for now, they needed breakfast. After stumbling around for a while, Sokka managed to catch two rabbits, which he put in his bag before continuing on. After a while, he heard a rustling, and tensed, waiting to see what it was. To his surprise, a girl appeared. Opening his eyes a little wider, he cleared his throat, approaching slowly. "Hello?" He called out quietly, nervous.

 

[corsettdoll]

Zuko stood in front of the girls, a bit surprised that someone would board his ship so boldly. He was known throughout the land, his quest not as mysterious as it was when he began his quest. Find the Avatar, gain back his father's respect. It was simple when put into those terms, but the gravity of what he was going to attempt weighed on him each day he was unsuccessful. Each day the Avatar grew stronger, and Zuko was met with a bigger challenge than before.


Before he could speak to these girls, a sneer rising in his lip, his uncle approached, tea pot in hand, a surprised look on his face, “Where you girls wandering around out there in the snow? You must be freezing! The temperature has been dropping all night…” he set down the pot of water to boil over the fire, motioning to the girls, “Come, we'll warm you up..”


“Absolutely not. We have no idea who these girls are or where they're from!” Zuko spoke suddenly, his temper rising as his uncle waved him away, “Zuko, these girls don't even have good enough clothing to protect them from the elements, there's no harm in housing them for the night, at least to keep them warm.” Iroh sat next to the fire cross legged, smiling warmly at the girls as his nephew fumed.


Zuko was too tired to argue with his uncle on the matter. They had a long day of travel with no results. Adding two people into the mix made him more frustrated about their situation.


Marcela nearly jumped at Sokka’s voice. She turned, bewildered, “Oh, hello? What.. Where did you come from?” she crouched down on the fallen tree she had perched on, weary as she regarded the newcomer.


She had been in this forest for a month now, it seemed. She hadn't ran into any other people, though it was part of the reason why she decided to linger in the forest. She hummed slightly, thinking.


She noticed his boomerang and became a little bit more defensive, watching his hands, “out hunting, then?” Marcela felt anxiety rising in her, nervous.